Mystery Worshipper: St Charles Borromeo.The church:Friendship
Missionary Baptist, Charlotte, NC, USA.Denomination: Baptist  dually aligned with both the National
Baptist Convention, USA, and the American Baptist Church.The building: A large, 1970s, typical American Protestant barn:
buff colored brick and light wood, with padded pews and carpet. One of
my friends describes these type of churches as "God's living room". It
seats about 1,000 or so, with 850 downstairs and 150-200 in the balcony.The church: The church's name is very appropriate. For a church
with a membership of 4,200-plus baptized members, it has the feeling of
a family. It is probably the friendliest church I have ever been to.The neighbourhood: The church takes up a block which bridges a business
area with a residential one. The church campus takes up most of one city
block, and they own 112 acres (debt free, according to church flyers)
across the street. They are planning to build there a new sanctuary, a
retirement high rise, a little shopping center and athletics fields. The
current campus will be used for the Christian Academy (from kindergarten
to grade 12) that the church is getting ready to open.The cast: Rev. Dr Clifford A. Jones, Sr., senior pastor; minister
Gwen Cohen (one of the many associate pastors); Tony McNeill, minister
of music; plus a cast of several deacons and deaconesses who led prayers
and did the announcements and welcome.

What was the name of the service?
Celebration of worship.

How full was the building?
Bulging at the seams. The church seats about 1,000 in the pews, but they
also put out folding chairs in the aisles and those were mostly filled,
too.

Did anyone welcome you personally?
I know several people who are members at Friendship, so they greeted me
with hugs, but the other church members gave hearty handshakes and many
people extended words of welcome. The ushers handing out bulletins were
very cordial.

Was your pew comfortable?
The pew was a typical non-liturgical American Protestant padded one, built
for comfort, which is needed in a service that can easily run for 1.5
hours.

How would you describe the pre-service
atmosphere?
There was a lot of visiting and conversation, but it hushed as the organist
began the prelude.

What were the exact opening words of the
service?
As the choir entered the choir loft in the front of the church and the
ministers and deacons took their seats on the platform, the organ built
up into a grand crescendo. The minister, Gwen Cohen took her spot at the
pulpit and said, "Please join me in the opening prayer," and the organ
backed down to some of the softest string stops.

What books did the congregation use during the
service?
The words to the congregational hymns were printed in the bulletin, along
with their number from the hymnal if people chose to follow along. The
hymnal used was The New National Baptist Hymnal. There were pew Bibles
(RSV) in the rack, but everyone had their own Bible with them.

Did anything distract you?
I was amazed by the hats the some of the ladies wore! They obviously love
to dress up for church, and they must spend some serious money on their
millinery. Those hats had sequins and feathers all over. It amazed me!

Was the worship stiff-upper-lip, happy clappy, or
what?
African-American churches are known for their expressive styles of worship.
As I am from an evangelical background, I am also used to displays of
emotion. The opening prayer and hymn were fairly formal, but as the service
progressed, the congregation began to loosen up and they got happy during
the choir's three different offerings, and when the pastor got fired up
during the sermon, they began to shout "amen!" and waved their hands in
the air. All in all, I would say the worship was "free." Some people sat
still and quiet, while others expressed their emotions. This is a church
where you can express yourself as the Holy Spirit leads you, as long as
it isn't disruptive.

Exactly how long was the sermon?
35 minutes.

On a scale of 1-10, how good was the preacher?
9  Pastor Jones is one of the two or three best preachers in Charlotte.
He is regularly seen on television locally and is in demand as a speaker.

In a nutshell, what was the sermon
about?
The sermon, entitled "In the meantime," was based on Jeremiah 29:7 and
10-11. It was about hope while we wait for God's plans to actualize. The
basic points were: seeing God's hand in times of strife; God teaching
us during our times of trial; that God knows how much we can bear and
will never give us too much; and that we gain strength through our trials.
We have to live knowing that God has everything worked out, so we should
be a blessing to others and submit to God, because "in the meantime" God
is blessing us. All in all, a very interesting presentation, comparing
the trials we face today to the trials that the ancient Jews faced during
their time in Babylon.

Which part of the service was like being in
heaven?
The music. The choir sang several pieces during the service, from old-fashioned
gospel to contemporary. The organist played Bach, and there was some lusty
congregational hymn singing. All this came straight from the heart and
was presented as an offering to God.

And which part was like being in... er... the other place?
The mass confusion in the hallways following the service. The church is
a haven of activity, which is good, but makes entering and leaving the
service quite difficult. It reminded me of herding cattle for the slaughter.

What happened when you hung around after the service looking lost?
There was no time to hang around. Once the service is over, the congregation
exits out the doors at the front of the sanctuary, so the worshippers
for the next service can enter from the rear doors. There are only a few
minutes between services. People visit in the hallways of the building
or outside on the church lawn. Following the service, many people thanked
me for attending and invited me back.

How would you describe the after-service
coffee?
There was none.

How would you feel about making this church your regular (where 10 = ecstatic, 0 = terminal)?
9  even though I am not Baptist, I could easily be a regular attendee
or member here.

Did the service make you feel glad to be a
Christian?
Most definitely. This is a warm and friendly community of Christians who
love to worship and who love each other. A great example of what being
a Christian really is.

What one thing will you remember about all this in seven days' time?
The feeling of family that this church has.

The Mystery Worshipper is sponsored by surefish.co.uk, the internet service provider from Christian Aid. By offering email services, special offers with companies such as amazon.co.uk and smile.co.uk, surefish raises more than £300,000 a year for Christian Aid's work around the world.

Click here to find out how to become a Mystery Worshipper. And click here if you would like to reproduce this report in your church magazine or website.